Tag: 2023

Issue 90 of Administration Matters Who would steal from us? Misappropriation of church funds can engender a crisis of confidence in your congregation, so proper handling of donations is a critical responsibility. Keep a would-be thief out of the collection plate by developing the financial controls needed to prevent theft and embezzlement in your congregation. >More Supporting our leaders with financial, emotional, physical and pumpkin spice benefits Portico seeks to support its plan members’ whole-person health and well-being with benefit options for every season of life — including pumpkin spice season. This fall a dietician at one of Portico’s partner…

Issue 89 of Administration Matters Register Sept. 15 for the 2024 Youth Gathering and related events! Registration opens at noon on Sept. 15 for the ELCA Youth Gathering and Young Adult Gathering, taking place in New Orleans, La., July 16-20, 2024, and for the two pre-events: the Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (MYLE) and the tAble, for youth living with disabilities, both July 13-16, 2024. We’re thrilled to be back in such a vibrant city, filled with history, great food and inspiring music. This cycle we’re excited to announce that we will waive the pre-event registration fee for the first 1,000…

The article below was originally published on the “Our Synod Stories” webpage of the Northwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA. It is re-posted with permission from – and gratitude for – the synod and the author, Pastor Devlyn Brooks, a member of the synod’s storytelling team. Since its charter as a Lutheran church in 1960, Calvary Lutheran Church in Perham, Minn., has always had a heart for supporting missions outside their church walls, says Associate Pastor Eric Clapp. So, it wasn’t a surprise when the Northwestern Minnesota Synod bishop’s staff announced at this year’s synod assembly that Calvary had again…

Issue 88 of Administration Matters Protect your church’s operating reserve A well-designed contingency plan for a congregation maintains an operating reserve to cover the church’s expenses for at least four months should it experience difficulties and its income be drastically reduced. >More Know when to retain or discard synod or congregational records Congregations and synods must know which records and information they should keep and which can be removed. Some records need to be maintained permanently; others can be discarded periodically. >More for Synods. >More for Congregations. Church building redesigned with MIF loan Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester, Minn., had…

LDR staff with members of the LDR national network. At the beginning of May, five Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) staff members attended the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) conference in St. Louis, Missouri.   NVOAD is a coalition of community-based, faith-based and nonprofit disaster response organizations throughout the United States. Its purpose is to serve as a forum in which organizations can coordinate responses. In addition to the more than 70 national member organizations (including LDR), there are also VOADs at the state and local levels.  The NVOAD conference is an opportunity to network with other disaster organizations…

Congratulations to the five recipients of the ELCA Disability Ministries grants for 2023! We have invited each to offer a snapshot of the project their grant will be fun, ding. Thank you to all applicants! It is amazing to learn about all that is being done across our church for accessibility and inclusion! We were blown away by the number of project applications submitted and all that they entailed for your ministries. We hope those not chosen this time around will consider applying in the future. I want to offer a special thanks to the advisory team for all their…

Issue 87 of Administration Matters (Delayed until June 5 from May 15 publication date) ELCAdvantage Program Through the ELCAdvantage Program, the ELCA churchwide organization develops agreements with participating providers that offer products and services at competitive prices. Using the program enables collective, volume purchasing of essential products and services. >More Inflation’s effect on houses of worship This is a difficult time for houses of worship, which have experienced the one-two punch of first COVID-19 closures and now inflation. Inflation affects both a church’s finances and its members’ finances as the price of groceries, gas, clothing and other necessities rapidly increases….

Session 5 — Psalm 130 “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in [God’s] word I hope.” —Psalm 130:5 The 40 days of Lent are drawing to a close, and so, too, is our journey through the psalms. From the plaintive cries of Psalm 32 to the quiet comfort of Psalm 23, we have glimpsed the spiritual depth of these hymns and reflected on what they might mean for us today, centuries after they were first recorded. The psalms can often seem dated, repetitive or obscure. Many of them originated from liturgies or festivals long since passed from…

March 22 marks the 31st annual World Water Day, a United Nations observance to celebrate the progress the world has made in providing access to clean, safe water for all and to remember how far we have to go as a global community toward that goal. This week, the UN will host an international conference on water in New York City to commemorate World Water Day and to encourage “bold action” in pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goal of “clean water and sanitation for all.” The ELCA will be represented at the conference by staff from the Building Resilient Communities…

Session 4 — Psalm 23 ‘“You prepare a table before me.” —Psalm 23:5 The community of Cataño, Puerto Rico, is vibrant, with residents talented in music, art and sports, yet it also faces a number of challenges. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median household income is about $ 18,600, nearly 12% lower than the average in Puerto Rico. Forty-six percent of people in Cataño live in poverty. So when Hurricane Maria passed through, the devastation compounded ongoing challenges and added new ones. Leaders of Tu Puedes, a project based at Iglesia Evangélica Luterana del Divino Salvador, recognized the…